Four Fundamentals of Successful Fishing

By Harold Blaisdell.

Here are tried-and-true fishing tips from an expert fisherman. Think of this as the “four fundamentals” of fishing—from when to fish to how to use the right bait for the right fish.

A fishing rod is a stick with a hook on one end and a fool on the other.
–proverb

1. Be at the right place at the right time.

General rules regarding the right time are as follows:

  • Trout are abundant when water temperatures are between 50ºF and 55ºF. For fly-fishermen, this is when mayflies are hatching and trout are feeding at the surface, usually from dusk to dark during the summer. For bait fishermen, the right time is early spring, when stream levels rise.
  • Smallmouth bass are abundant during spawning season (late May to early June) wherever the law allows. Cast to the shoreline with fly-rod lures.
  • Largemouth bass are all-season feeders, with depth more important than time. They will cruise the shoreline after dark, so use a flashlight sparingly.
  • Northern pike, pickerel, and panfish are all-season biters as well.
  • Walleyes can be caught during spawning runs where legal (late April and early May). After spawning, look along shorelines, where they tend to cruise in schools.

READ more at https://www.almanac.com/content/four-fundamentals-successful-fishing